Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s 14th ATP Tour meeting was one to forget, as the match lasted just 23 minutes.
Trailing 0-5 in the Cincinnati Open final, Sinner retired against Alcaraz, having struggled with illness from the very first point.
Fans were hoping the pair would produce another classic, but it wasn’t to be as Alcaraz took a 9-5 lead in their head-to-head.
Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed the absence of Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, in the stands for the final.
In fact, the 2003 French Open champion didn’t attend a single match in Cincinnati, as he remained in Europe while his pupil made his return to the ATP Tour.
Juan Carlos Ferrero was never scheduled to attend the Cincinnati Open
Alcaraz was coached by Samuel Lopez at the 2025 Cincinnati Open, as he and Ferrero continue to share the coaching duties.
It was determined pre-tournament that Ferrero would not join Alcaraz in Cincinnati, although he is expected to be brought back into the fold for the US Open next week.
While Alcaraz was picking up his third Masters 1000 title of the season at the Cincinnati Open, Ferrero was spotted in the stands of a La Liga soccer game between Elche and Real Betis in Spain.
| Masters 1000 | Surface | Champion | Runner-up |
| Indian Wells | Hard | Jack Draper | Holger Rune |
| Miami Open | Hard | Jakub Mensik | Novak Djokovic |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | Clay | Carlos Alcaraz | Lorenzo Musetti |
| Madrid Open | Clay | Casper Ruud | Jack Draper |
| Italian Open | Clay | Carlos Alcaraz (2) | Jannik Sinner |
| Canadian Open | Hard | Ben Shelton | Karen Khachanov |
| Cincinnati Open | Hard | Carlos Alcaraz (3) | Jannik Sinner |
| Shanghai Masters | Hard | – | – |
| Paris Masters | Hard (Indoor) | – | – |
As Ferrero’s son plays for the Elche youth team, it’s no surprise that the 45-year-old chose to watch the match.
Ferrero will now head over to New York, resuming the role of head coach for the final Grand Slam tournament of the year.
Alcaraz struggled at the US Open last year, but will be confident of a better showing this time around, arriving at Flushing Meadows in red-hot form.
Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open record
The Spaniard has appeared in four US Open tournaments since making his debut in 2021, winning 85% (17-3) of his matches at the event.
However, after Alcaraz won his maiden title in extraordinary fashion three years ago, he hasn’t been able to return to the final, suffering a particularly shocking defeat last time around.
- 2021 US Open – Carlos Alcaraz lost to Felix Auger-Aliassime in QF
- 2022 US Open – Carlos Alcaraz won
- 2023 US Open – Carlos Alcaraz lost to Daniil Medvedev in SF
- 2024 US Open – Carlos Alcaraz lost to Botic van de Zandschulp in 2R
Entering the tournament as the number-three seed 12 months ago, Alcaraz was expected to reach the second week without too much trouble, and started well, taking down Li Tu in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
Unfortunately, it was in round two that his run would come to an end, as Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp.
In straight sets, the unseeded Dutchman dominated Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, knocking him out of the US Open.
The result was Alcaraz’s worst at a Grand Slam since his debut season, where he lost in the second round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
| Defeat | Opponent | Score |
| 2R – 2024 US Open | Botic van de Zandschulp | 1-6, 5-7, 4-6 |
| 2R – 2021 Australian Open | Mikael Ymer | 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-7 |
| 2R – 2021 Wimbledon | Daniil Medvedev | 4-6, 1-6, 2-6 |
| 3R – 2021 French Open | Jan-Lennard Struff | 4-6, 6-7, 2-6 |
| 3R – 2022 Australian Open | Matteo Berrettini | 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 |
| 4R – 2022 Wimbledon | Jannik Sinner | 1-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6 |
If he can continue to perform as well as he has over the past few months, it’s hard to imagine Alcaraz losing early again in 2025.
However, he has work to do before the singles tournament begins, having entered into the revamped mixed doubles event alongside Emma Raducanu.
Alcaraz and Raducanu will begin their US Open mixed doubles campaign on Tuesday, August 19, where they will take on Jack Draper and Jessica Pegula.
Should they advance, they would play either Olga Danilovic/Novak Djokovic or Mirra Andreeva/Daniil Medvedev, later on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.
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